


Tainted Blood

by Croeses



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Backstory, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Pre-Star Wars: A New Hope, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:00:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22000579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Croeses/pseuds/Croeses
Summary: Her life ended when she met the Emperor. What came afterward was merely existence.
Kudos: 9





	Tainted Blood

Even as the droid kept giving Ilava details about what she should be expecting over the next few months, she didn’t feel anything. Inside her was only emptiness. The same emptiness she felt ever since that night _he_ came to her and she screamed for someone, anyone. But no one answered and no one ever would. Afterwards, the numbness took hold of her, drowning all hope she may have had.

The droid finished speaking and Ilava rose from her seat without any answer. She wondered why she even pretended to listen in the first place. Her knowing about her condition wasn’t going to make any difference. Everything would happen the way he wanted it to happen. Her decisions and feelings were of no importance.

She tried to remember when was the last time what she wanted mattered. And she recalled her father’s palace, the home of her childhood. She recalled the sound of the ceaseless waves hitting the cliffs on which her house proudly stood. How she used to lean out of her window to feel the endless ocean’s breeze in her hair when she was a little girl. How she used to watch the sunset and dream of a life of adventure.

She had been a stupid girl then, Ilava thought now. She should have wished for everything to stay just how it was.

When the Emperor came to Hobarox, the ruling elite of the planet gathered in their subaquatic capital to receive him. And Ilava wondered not for the first time why her father took his family with him too, why couldn’t he just go alone. But of course, back then, she was happy to accompany him, to see the capital and its wonders yet again and catch up with old acquaintances.

She was just one of the many people in the crowd, but _he_ sensed her anyway. She sensed him too, of course. His presence in the Force was huge and suffocating. The Emperor turned his head then and fixed his yellow eyes on hers. Ilava couldn’t suppress an instinctual shiver. He was just as monstrous as his presence in the Force.

Later, she tried to forget the feeling of dread his presence gave her. She almost succeeded by the time when, a few days later, her father came to tell her that the Emperor required her to go with him for reasons known only to him. Her father told her that he tried to talk the Emperor out of it or at least find out what he wanted with her, but the Emperor refused. The feeling of dread came back in full force, overshadowing the growing resentment she felt for her father and his inability or unwillingness to do more to protect her, and only left when the emptiness replaced all her emotions.

Ilava turned her back on the droid without any word and exited the room. She didn’t stop at the worried expression on Valquasa’s face, passing her quickly. Her servant followed Ilava at a short distance, as the young girl traversed the long hallway toward her room.

Ilava turned her head to look out the windows that made up most of the outside wall of the corridor. The Nabooan city was so different from anything that could be found on her home planet. The sparse islands that made up Hobarox’s land mass weren’t large enough to build a settlement of any significant size. All their cities had to be build underwater out of necessity. But Naboo was different. Naboo had enough land for everybody to build their houses under the sky. And they made sure their buildings were as beautiful as they can be. It was so impressive, that even through all her terror, Ilava was amazed when the Emperor first brought her here. The mansion where he placed her - her prison, she bitterly remembered - was beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside. The mansion, she later found out, was the old house of the Palpatine family. They were all deceased except for the Emperor, so Ilava was given all of its servants and rooms to use as she wished. The only change her coming here brought was the addition of guards, the Stormtroopers whose only job was to keep her from escaping her golden cage.

A few turns later, Ilava reached the huge oak door of her room. As she started to open it, she heard Valquasa asking behind her, voice drooping with compassion, “Is everything all right, my lady?”

Ilava let out a small sigh before turning to respond. She resented the pity of others. All their pity couldn’t replace the help they refused to give her all those nights she had to spend with _him._ “The Emperor got his wish. Nothing else matters, does it?” she answered the middle-aged servant without emotion, before entering her room and closing the door behind her.

Ilava took her usual seat by the window and looked down on the crystal-clear river that traversed the city. She remembered the Emperor’s words about her potential and how, because of it, she is the perfect candidate for one of his experiments. She always knew there was something different about her. She sensed things other people couldn’t. People tended to do what she asked. But she also heard about the Jedi and how they ended up. So she tried to ignore this part of herself as much as she could. And everything went well before the Emperor took notice of her.

Far from the first time, she cursed her Force sensitivity. She never asked for it. It never did her any good. And now…

She closed her eyes against the wave of nausea that overtook her. She couldn’t even tell the cause of it anymore. She opened her eyes again and considered the river below yet again. It would be so easy to let it swallow her and end this cursed existence. But, as always, through the numbness the fear of the unknown broke. She was still so young. So many things might yet change. The Emperor left a month ago and maybe he will forget all about Ilava and she may never have to see him again. However, the small hope was quickly replaced by the usual emptiness.

“He will return to see his child,” Ilava whispered bitterly to herself. “Isn’t it all this is about?”

* * *

“My lady!”

Ilava turned her head from the window to see Valquasa bursting in her room with a terrified look on her face.

Odd, Ilava thought to herself emotionlessly. Valquasa was a servant of the mansion from the time of the Republic. She knew how to do her job. Such a breach of etiquette was highly unusual for the greatly experienced servant.

Valquasa continued without awaiting any response from her mistress. “The Emperor is here! He landed in the city a short time ago and turned up here unannounced just now!” the servant finished without stopping for breath.

Ilava stood up quickly. Her wide eyes fixed themselves on the older woman. This couldn’t be. She didn’t want to see _him_ again. Anything but that. What did he want? Was he going to rape her again? She painfully closed her eyes against the memories, willing them to go away. She couldn’t have one of her meltdowns now, when he was so close. She quickly opened her eyes and looked over the servant’s shoulder, at the hall outside the door. Expecting him to arrive like he always did in her nightmares.

Ilava took a step back unconsciously. Her breathing was erratic and she could feel her heart beating frantically in her chest. Her palms grew sweaty.

Valquasa, seeing the young girl’s distress, quickly closed the door. As if reading Ilava’s thoughts, she said appeasably, “He went to see the baby. He may not be here for you.”

Of course, the boy. Ilava tried not to think of him in the month since his birth and mostly succeeded. She refused to see him or name him no matter how much Valquasa, who seemingly took a liking to him, tried to convince her to give him a chance. He is such a sweet boy, the older woman had told Ilava again and again. But Ilava ignored her. The boy was _his_ son, after all. Nothing could change that.

She recalled her months of pregnancy. The endless nightmares, the constant reminders of what happened to her, the hopelessness of her situation, the dark thoughts that followed her day and night. And then the indescribable pain of childbirth. She wished for death during those moments but she had been denied yet again.

“I hope the Emperor didn’t come to take the baby away.” Valquasa said, throwing worried glances at the door, wringing her hands. “The poor boy would be so scared,” she continued unprompted. “All alone at such a young age…”

Ilava barely heard her. She reached into the Force and felt the terrible presence of the Emperor overwhelming her. Just then, the door burst open and two Stormtroopers stepped inside the room. “The Emperor requires your presence,” one of them addressed Ilava.

Ilava forced herself to calm down. She refused to look weak in front of his lackeys. Remembering her noble upbringing, she straightened her back and, with head held high, made for the door. Valquasa tried to follow her, but one of the Stormtroopers blocked her way. “You say here,” he balked at the servant.

The other Stormtrooper took the lead and Ilava obediently followed, wondering what the Emperor had in store for her. Did he decide that his son wasn’t good enough? Did he want another from her? She shuddered. She refused to go through that again. She would rather end it all than let him touch her again. Or did he find the child good enough? Would he kill her now that she outlived her usefulness?

She was led to the great hall of the mansion. The Emperor waited for her in the middle of it, with a few Stormtroopers at his back. The two that accompanied her took their place among their fellows, while Ilava faced their master for the first time in almost a year. Seeing him, her composure broke and fear drowned all her senses. She wanted to get away, to be how far away from him as she could possibly be. She couldn’t deal with this, not again. Why couldn’t he leave her alone?

She heard him cackling and looked at him again, after she subconsciously lowered her eyes when the fear gripped her. “You fear me, girl,” he said when he saw he had her attention. “Good,” he drawled. “Fear is the first step toward hate and anger. Toward the Dark Side.”

He took a metal tube out of his robes and threw it at Ilava. She caught it instinctually and inspected it. It was beautifully crafted and she could feel a pull toward it. She realized belatedly that she was holding a lightsaber in her hands. She heard of them of course, but this was the first one she ever saw.

“Come on, show me what your fear is capable of,” the Emperor said and Ilava quickly raised her head. He wanted her to attack him? Why? What could he possibly gain from it? Then Ilava realized it didn’t matter. This was the only chance she was going to get to get away from him forever. Even if that chance was infinitesimal, she was going to take it. She ignited the lightsaber and the red blade materialized.

Ilava had no training whatsoever with anything resembling a lightsaber and the weapon felt alien in her hands. She tried to reach into the Force, but it felt as unattainable as ever. She ran forward and tried to strike the Emperor but he only raised one of his hands and the red blade stopped mid-blow. Ilava tried to force the lightsaber down on him but it was futile. With one wave of his hand, the Emperor send her flying into the wall. She hit it hard and the breath was knocked out of her. She barely heard the Emperor cackling again before she felt unbearable pain as his lightning hit her. She didn’t knew if it took a moment or an eternity for him to stop.

She slowly and painfully tried to stand up on her hands and knees. She barely heard the Emperor talking over her heavy breathing. “Only through hate you can reach your full potential. I can feel it inside you. Let it grow!”

Ilava felt it growing inside her. She saw the lightsaber laying some distance away, where she dropped it when he flung her away. She reached out with her hand and she reached out with the Force. She felt the Force answering to the hatred inside her and the lightsaber sprung to her hand.

“Good,” she distantly heard the Emperor talking yet again. “Do you see what kind of power the Dark Side can give you?” Ilava felt back to the ground, all her energy wasted and every part of her body hurting. She hugged the lightsaber to her chest, afraid that he would take it back. But all she heard afterwards was the sound of footsteps moving toward the door and then nothing.

Left alone, she thought back on the Emperor’s words. He was the most powerful Force user in the galaxy. He must be right. She nursed her hate, hoping that one day she may get another chance to use it against _him._

* * *

The Palpatine residence had a great library with a vast collection of holobooks. They covered a multitude of fields: economics, politics, history, literature, among many others. But what Ilava was most interested in were the ones that talked about the Force and the Jedi. There were none about the Sith even if they did get mentioned scarcely in conjecture with the Dark Side of the Force.

After her meeting with the Emperor, Ilava found a new purpose. The until then omnipresent numbness was replaced by hatred and an undying fervor for revenge. And, as the Emperor did imply during his short visit, the Force was her greatest ally.

As a result, she tried learning all she could about it. But the books were vague. Nobody seemed to understand exactly what the Force was or how it could be controlled. The Jedi used to have monopoly over it during their glory days and decided to keep it a secret, only for themselves to use. And yet, they all died. Their Order was destroyed together with everything they stood for. And now two Sith ruled the galaxy. The Dark Side was clearly the right choice.

She started training with the Force. At first, fueled by her hate and anger, the Force came naturally to her. She started to manipulate the world around her in ways she hadn’t thought possible before. The lightsaber felt more and more natural in her hands with every passing day. But, after a time, she realized that anything more than the basics was still far out of her reach. Pure emotion could only help her so much before she needed technique and finesse. She needed a teacher, a teacher that she knew very well she wasn’t going to get. Still, she kept on training. There wasn’t much to do in this prison of hers anyway.

Her movements inside the mansion were unrestricted, but she wasn’t allowed to leave it under any circumstance. She knew it would be easy to mind trick the guard into letting her go but she also knew that the Emperor was aware of this and she wouldn’t get very far. She bided her time for now.

“Mama!” A toddler’s voice interrupted Ilava’s daydreaming. She lowered her eyes from the sky, where the Nabooan sun - so much larger and warmer than the Hobaroxan sun - shined brightly, to see her son running happily toward her on the garden’s paved alley, the Stormtrooper who watched over him following behind. She worried that he would trip and fall for a moment but he reached her safely and gripped her skirts with his tiny hands.

She was thankful for this garden, not only because it was beautiful, but more importantly because it was part of the mansion’s premises. It meant that she could go out, sit on a bench and take a breath of fresh air. It meant her son could play outside and feel the sun. After all, wasn’t the sun’s warmth the reason why the nobility of Hobarox built their houses on the few islands the planet had rather than on the ocean floor where the social heart of their world was?

“What is it?” she asked while running a hand through his dark hair. It was getting rather long. She made a note to herself to tell Valquasa to shorten it.

Her relationship with her son was rather complicated, Ilava knew, not that the boy was old enough to realize it yet. The old resentment of him being the son of the monster who took everything from her would probably never go away. But his origin also raised an opportunity like no other. She knew that all her training would be meaningless against the Emperor, but the boy was his son. Who knew how much potential and talent he might possess. So Ilava decided to teach him about the Force all while feeding him the hate she felt toward his father. He would be her revenge.

She could never truly love him and somewhere, deep inside, she felt horrible for it.

“Look, mama!” he said excitedly and raised the hand that held a yellow flower. “For you. It’s pretty,” he added smiling. Ilava took it. It really was beautiful with its large and sharp petals and its shrill color. Her son loved her, she knew, even if she was distant and cold to him. It just added to her sense of guilt.

“Did the gardener give this to you?” she asked, knowing there was no way for the toddler to get it otherwise.

The boy nodded happily and looked to where he came from. “He was nice.”

“I’m glad,” Ilava responded, watching the flower in her hands and thinking how expensive it would be to grow such a flower on Hobarox. “Go and play now. Soon we will have to get back inside for lunch.” The boy looked dejected at the prospect and turned to leave to explore the garden again. But before he could get far, Valquasa appeared on the alley leading back to the mansion. The moment he saw her, the toddler ran to her with arms wide open.

“Vala! I missed you,” he said happily, as he jumped into the older woman’s arms who kneeled down to receive him.

“Did you now, Evry?” the servant responded as she rose back to her full height with Evros in her arms. It was a commoner’s name, Ilava thought distastefully, and her son was anything but a commoner. But, of course, what was to be expected when she kept refusing to name him and Valquasa took it upon herself to do so? It did have sentimental value to the older woman, being her late father’s name. It was probably one of the reasons why she took so greatly and easily to the boy, almost as he was her own. Ilava was thankful for it. Every child needs unconditional love and she knew that in her state she was incapable to offer it.

Valquasa was also the only ally Ilava had in the mansion, the only one brave enough to face any repercussion to help the prisoner girl. Ever since coming here, Ilava found it hard to trust people, to let them get close to her. But after more than three years, she realized that Valquasa proved her unfaltering loyalty more than once and that she would be a fool to refuse help so freely given.

Evros nodded happily at the servant’s question. “Really. I did so many things when you were gone!” he said, preparing probably to recount every one of them. Usually Valquasa was more than happy to indulge him and listen to the toddler’s rambling but today she stopped him. “I can’t wait to hear all about it, but you’ll have to tell me later, okay? I have something to tell your mother. Go and enjoy the sun because soon we have to go and eat,” she said as she let the toddler down.

“Okay,” Evros simply said and wandered a few steps away toward one of the flowerbeds. Ilava raised an eyebrow at Valquasa. The servant seemed worried and kept throwing glances at the Stormtroopers – there were always two when they went to the garden, one for Ilava and one for Evros. When she saw that the older woman kept silent, Ilava prompted her, “So?”

“My lady, can you send the guards away?” At the servant’s question, both Stormtroopers stood straighter. They weren’t supposed to leave and they knew it. But, of course, the Force was stronger than any orders. “You can leave,” Ilava told them with a wave of her hand. Both guards nodded and left. Watching them disappear up the alley, Ilava thought amused about how the mind tricks truly made her feel like the mistress of the house.

After making sure that they were gone and that nobody else was around, Valquasa started reluctanly, “My lady, have you heard of the Rebellion?”

So that was what this was about? “Of course. There are always people looking to overthrow every regime.” Ilava wasn’t stupid enough to put her hope into these people. What chance did they stand against the might of the Empire?

“They say they are amassing an army,” Valquasa continued. “From what I heard, many powerful people are discontent with the current state of the galaxy. They are gaining momentum, my lady.”

Ilava turned the flower in her hands and watched her son playing in the ground with a stick. “Why are you telling me this now, Valquasa?”

“Because, my lady,” the servant threw another look over her shoulder, while her voice dropped conspicuously low, “one of them contacted me.”

Ilava looked at her sharply. “Here on Naboo?”

“Yes. He knew I work here at the mansion and well, given this place’s connection with the Emperor, I can see why they are interested in what is happening here.”

“Did you tell him anything?” Ilava wasn’t entirely successful at hiding her worry.

“No. I wanted to talk to you before I did anything.”

Ilava nodded. “You did well.” She wondered if this was one of the Emperor’s traps. But no, he didn’t need an excuse for anything. He could do everything he wished to her and nobody would stop him, she remembered bitterly. So then, a test? Is she supposed to take the bait or ignore it? Or maybe, just maybe, this didn’t have anything to do with the Emperor. She knew that the Rebellion would be interested in the Emperor’s son. They would spend resources to get a hold of him. And that may be just what she needed to escape this planet, escape the Empire.

“We will tread carefully,” Ilava told Valquasa, who nodded. “I will tell you what to say the next time you meet this ‘contact’. We need to find more about them before they find more about us.”

* * *

Their escape was unexpectedly easy. Ilava mind tricked the guards and they let them go. She guessed her eight years of complete obedience paid off, allowing her guards to grow complacent. By the time the mind trick wore off and the Stormtroopers started the search, she, Evros and Valquasa almost reached the ship the Rebellion provided them to get off the planet. It was all so easy that Ilava thought for a moment that she was wrong, that all the years she spent making sure that this wasn’t one of the Emperor’s traps were for naught and he has been deceiving her all this time.

But the Rebellion was there and they took them off the planet just as they promised. As the ship lifted off, Ilava looked back to Naboo for the last time, just like all those years ago she looked back to Hobarox for the last time, and thought she would have loved the planet had she came here under any other circumstances. Valquasa looked sadly back to her native planet too. She had to leave. If she stayed behind, her involvement in the escape would have been discovered and she would have been executed for treason. Ilava felt bad about condemning her to a life on the run even if Valquasa assured her that she had no family left on Naboo. The older woman grew attached to Ilava and her son during all those years and was ready to sacrifice anything for them. Ilava was thankful for it. Evros was still so young. He needed a protector.

The boy was the only one who was excited. It was a whole new world for him. Even getting out of that damned mansion was a great adventure for him. No wonder he was amazed when they flew off the planet. Everything was new and everything was beautiful to him.

The rebels took them to one of their bases on the barren planet of Adara. They didn’t trust them. They interrogated Ilava, Valquasa and even Evros and were unwilling to believe they didn’t know anything about the Emperor and his plans. They kept asking about a so-called Death Star and Ilava had no answer for them. She always knew that they wouldn’t be their friends. The rebels were their ticket out of the Empire’s hands, but that didn’t mean the Rebellion had their best interests at heart. Ilava made sure to tell Valquasa this before they escaped and reminded her that she was to look for any opportunity to escape the rebels once they were safely out of the Empire’s reach. No good could come from associating with a fraction that had little to no chance to win the galactic war.

It only took a day for a small Imperial fleet to be spotted on a direct course to their system. The Rebels quickly started to evacuate the base. Ilava realized that the moment she waited for all this years, ever since the Emperor left her the lightsaber was coming. She was going to face her pursuers, whoever they were. It didn’t matter that she was more than likely to lose. Her true hope was her son. By staying behind, she could buy him time to get as far away from his father as he could. Then, one day, when he was older and stronger, he would come back and revenge her.

She told the rebels her plan, showed them her lightsaber and her power in the Force, assured them that she could make a difference. They were mistrustful, of course, but reluctantly agreed to leave her behind.

Evros took the news poorly. “You can’t stay here, Mom!” he told her with eyes wet, gripping her cloak. “Just come with us and we will be safe together.”

Ilava sighed. She knew this was going to be hard for him but he needed to understand why things had to happen this way. She kneeled in front of him and gripped his shoulders. “Your father rules the galaxy,” she told him softly, while he swept at his eyes with his arm. “We will never be safe as long as he is alive. Only you have the power to stop him. I taught you everything I knew. All I can do now is to protect you. Do you understand?” The boy nodded shakily, tears running down his cheeks. “Always remember who you are, my son, and where you come from.” Seeing the sorrow on his face at her words, she felt the guilt and pain more sharply than ever before. She hugged him tightly against her and whispered, “Be brave.”

She felt him nod against her shoulder. She let him go after a few moments and he quickly turned and ran to the hangar bay. Ilava rose to her feet and looked sadly after him. Valquasa, who had watched the scene from some distance away, came to join her. She looked on the verge of either reprobating or consoling Ilava, but the younger woman anticipated her. “You know what you need to do,” she said tonelessly, still looking in the direction her son vanished.

Valquasa nodded dejectedly and prepared to follow the boy. Ilava softened and turned to look at the former servant. She felt tears gather in her eyes. “Thank you, Valquasa. For everything.”

Valquasa smiled sadly. “It was my pleasure, my lady.” With those last words, she turned and left.

And Ilava was left alone.

* * *

“Lord Vader,” Sidious addressed the kneeling hologram from his throne. “I have a mission for you.” The Emperor waited for a moment, watching Vader, before continuing, “I need you to find a girl and kill her. She can use the Force and she has my lightsaber. After you kill her, bring it back to me.” Sidious stopped again and waited for Vader’s reaction, but his apprentice held himself in check. Yes, Sidious trained him well. “She is on Adara right now, at the edge of the Mid Rim in a Rebel base. You will receive her information.”

“Very well, Master. It will be done.” Vader responded and prepared to close the transmission.

“One more thing, Lord Vader,” Sidious stopped him. “She has a son. If you find him, I want you to let him go.” And he closed the connection himself.

The girl finally escaped. The Emperor was slightly surprised that she had the patience to wait this long. The security of the mansion was paper-thin for someone with the Force. Yet, she bided her time, getting the Rebellion on her side, making sure she had a way to escape the Empire’s notice. What she didn’t know was that she could never hide from him. Or, at least, her son couldn’t.

The boy was also his son. It was easy for someone as powerful as Sidious to create a connection with someone of his own blood that would allow him to follow the boy anywhere in the galaxy. That was the reason he visited Naboo after the child’s birth. While he was there, he realized that the girl could be more than just breeding stock. So he taught her to hate and helped her to reach the Dark Side. And just as he planned, she taught her son what she learned.

The kid had potential of course. But potential wasn’t enough. He would need to learn and become strong on his own before Sidious would even consider him as an apprentice. That’s why his mother had to die now. It was just another test to see if the boy had what it took to deserve the Emperor’s acknowledgment.

If the boy failed, Sidious would kill him. But if he succeeded, well… The Emperor was confident that he could turn him to his side, just as he turned Anakin Skywalker.

Whatever would happen, it would happen in Sideous’ advantage.

* * *

Vader entered the abandoned base with a few Stormtroopers in tow. He quickly commanded them to search for information about the Rebellion, their plans or the location of their bases. Vader knew they would most likely not find anything of value. The rebel rats knew how to clean after themselves and they always seemed to anticipate the Imperials’ arrival and escape to hyperspace before Vader could catch up to them. It mattered little. Soon, when the Death Star was going to be completed, all their efforts would be for naught and the control over the galaxy would be firmly in the two Siths’ hands.

Today though, Vader hadn’t come here for the rebels. The scanners picked up signs of life from the abandoned base so Vader came down to inspect. He was pleased to sense another Force-sensitive person when he entered the base. He was a little surprised too. Why would she stay behind when she could have escaped with the others? Was she trying to lay a trap for him? She was a Dark Side user - as much could be felt in the Force - and she had Sidious’ lightsaber. She might have trained under the Emperor’s guidance. Vader decided not to underestimate her.

Her file wasn’t as enlightening as he had hoped it would be. At a first glance, Ilava Relrova was nothing more than the daughter of some magnates from one of the Mid Rim planets. The only interesting part was her disappearance from Hobarox eight years ago. But even that could be explained by saying she eloped with some smuggler or the like.

Vader remembered the rumors about a mistress the Emperor was keeping on Naboo. Could she have been that mistress? Did the Emperor care so much for her that he would give her his lightsaber? Vader thought it unlikely especially as he ordered her death now. What, then, was her importance?

Vader stopped himself. He wasn’t here to speculate. He just needed to kill the girl.

Vader traversed the empty corridors until he reached the door of the room where he sensed the other Force user. He blasted it open with the Force, drew and ignited his lightsaber and stepped inside. On the other side of the room – which looked like a control room, judging by all the apparatuses - a girl faced him. Her lightsaber – the Emperor’s lightsaber – was in her hand, ignited.

Vader stopped and looked her over. She was pretty – although far from having Padme’s beauty – with her dark, wild hair and large, blue eyes. She stood straight, with her head held high, testament to her noble upbringing. But the most striking was the pure desperation on her face, the desperation of a cornered animal.

Vader stayed silent, waiting for the girl to make the first move. His heavy breathing was the only sound in the room. After a few seconds, the girl broke the silence.

“You are Darth Vader. I’ve heard about you,” she said tonelessly. “I’m glad, you know? I’m glad it’s you. I knew _he_ wouldn’t bother to come to end my life himself like he ended my future all those years ago.” With every word, old bitterness creeped into her voice. Vader wondered again, before he could stop himself, just happened to this girl. “But you, his favorite lackey. I’m honored to die at your hand. My death will matter little. Because, in the end, I will win. I will have my revenge. I hope you will live to see it and you will remember me then.” And she threw herself forward. The lightsabers clashed.

The force of the blow was strong – Vader could feel the anger and hatred that empowered the girl – but the blow itself was clumsy. It was clear to Vader that no one trained her with a lightsaber. This should be easy. He could sense her trying to fling some random objects at his back, but Vader stopped them mid-air. He abruptly pushed against her lightsaber with his own. The girl was caught off guard and took a few steps backward. It was the opening Vader needed. He struck. The girl lacked the reflexes to parry his lightsaber and the weapon stabbed her through her stomach. Vader heard the sound of her lightsaber hitting the floor and powered his off. The girl fell to the ground, blood starting to soak her clothes. She coughed weakly and looked up to Vader. Even through the agonal spasms, the Sith lord thought he could detect resignation on her face and in her eyes. The eyes that remained fixated on Vader until her last breath.

After making sure she was dead, Vader called the Emperor’s lightsaber to his hand.

And then he turned and left.


End file.
